Cover for fill pipes



Oct. 27, 1964 R. F. BOBOWSKI 3,154,211

COVER FOR FILL PIPES Filed Nov. 25, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 "v a-r iik mlllll k I nvvsuroe.

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Oct. 27, 1964 R. F. BOBOWSKI 3,154,211

COVER FOR FILL PIPES Filed Nov. 25, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I NW? N TOE. 205521- E B osowsm BY Swat TM-t A 1' razus v.9.

United States. Patent 3,154,211 COVER FOR FILL PIPES Robert F. Bohowski, Indianapolis, Ind., assignor to Hoosier 60211 and Oil Company, Inc, Indianapolis, Ind, a corporation of Indiana Filed Nov. 25, 1960, Ser. No. 71,613 1 Claim. (Cl. 220-332) This invention relates to a cover for fill pipes, and more particularly to a cover for outdoor fill pipes for fuel oil tanks.

It is the conventional practice in the oil heating of homes and smaller buildings to run the fill and vent pipes for the oil tank to a point outside the building so that the tank can be filled from a delivery truck without the necessity of entering the building. Normally, such pipes extend upwardly through the ground at a point relatively close to the building, or they may project outwardly from a wall of the building. In either event, such pipes present an unattractive appearance.

It is thus the object of my invention to provide a cover for such fill pipes which will be of attractive appearance, which will completely enclose said pipes, which can be quickly and easily removed from its enclosing position to give ready access to said pipes, and which can be employed with pipes disposed remote from and adjacent to a building.

According to one form of my invention, I provide a ground-engageable shell forming an upright wall adapted to be disposed around a vent and fill pipe. The shell comprises a pair of swingably interconnected shell sections each of which has a downwardly dished receptacle in its upper end for closing the upper end of the shell over the enclosed pipes. Such receptacles are adapted to serve as flower boxes, outdoor aquariums, etc. to thus give the shell an attractive appearance. One of the shell sections is provided with means adjacent its lower end adapted to bindingly grip the fill pipe or its associated vent pipe for securing the shell as a whole in a fixed position with respect to the pipes, while permitting the other shell section to be swung into an open position for access to said pipes for inserting a filling hose nozzle therein.

Other objects and features of my invention will become apparent from the more detailed description which follows and from the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a fill pipe cover embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the cover shown in FIG. 1, but showing the same in its open position;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a vertical section of a modified form of my invention; and

FIG. 6 is a horizontal section taken on the line 66 of FIG. 5.

The embodiment of my invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 is adapted to be used as a cover for an oil tank fill pipe 10 and vent pipe 12 of the type which project upwardly through the ground, and which are disposed away from the wall of a building. This embodiment comprises a shell formed from a pair of opposed groundengageable shell sections 14 and 16. As shown, the shell sections 14 and 16 have a configuration such that when they are in their closed position shown in FIG. 1, they form a continuous vertically extending wall disposed around the fill and vent pipes 10 and 12. A plurality of hinges 20 are mounted along one pair of adjacent edges of the shell sections 14 and 16 and carry a hinge pintle 22 forming a vertically extending axis for the two sections to permit them to be swung from the closed position shown in FIG. 1 into their open position shown in FIG. 3 in which the caps on the vent and fill pipes may be removed therefrom and the nozzle of a filling hose inserted into the fill pipe 10 for thus filling the oil tank connected thereto.

In order to fixedly locate the shell with respect to the pipes, the shell section 16 is provided at its lower end with a mounting bracket adapted to bindingly grip the fill or vent pipe 10 or 12. As shown in FIG. 3, said mounting bracket comprises pairs of inwardly extending bracket members 24 having outwardly turned fingers 25 rigidly mounted on the inner face of the shell section 16. The inner ends of the several bracket members 24 are arcuate to form a mounting clamp 26 receivable over one of the pipes 10 or 12 and bindingly retained thereon as by bolts 27. Thus, the shell section 16 is fixedly secured with respect to the fill and vent pipes for locating the cover in a fixed position with respect to said pipes, while still permitting the section 14 to be swung into position to permit access to said pipes.

A receptacle is formed in the upper end of each of the shell sections 14 and 16 to close the upper ends thereof. Each of said receptacles comprises a vertically extending wall 28 extending across the open end of one of said sections and rigidly mounted on the opposed inner faces of said section. The receptacle floor 30 is fixedly connected along its inwardly disposed edge to the lower edge of the wall 28, and has its outer edge fixedly secured to the inner face of said section. Thus, each of said shell sections is provided with a downwardly dished receptacle which may be used as a decorative flower box, outdoor aquarium, etc. As shown in FIG. 1, when the shell sections 14 and 16 are in their closed position, the receptacles in said sections form a substantially continuous single receptacle enclosing the top of the shell cover and hiding the pipes 10 and 12. To releasably lock the shell sections in their closed positions, I conveniently employ a spring-steel clamp 31 mounted on one of the receptacle walls 28 and receivable over the wall 26 of the receptacle.

In many instances, the fill and vent pipes are located immediately adjacent an outside wall of a building, which thus precludes the use of a sectioned shell arrangement such as shown in FIGS. 1-4. The embodiment of my invention illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 is adapted to be used in associataion with fill and vent pipes 10' and 12 which are located closely adjacent a building wall 34. In this embodiment I provide a ground-engageable shell 36 forming a curved, vertically extending wall surface having an open side adapted to abut against the wall 34. To releasably retain the shell against the wall 34, I mount an inwardly projecting bracket 38 on the inner face or" the shell wall 36 adjacent the bottom thereof. The bracket 38 is provided with a plurality of openings 41 formed in a pair of aligned rows. A bifurcated spring clamp 42 adapted to be bindingly received around either the fill or vent pipe 10 and 12 is connected to the bracket 38 as by an arm 42 having a plurality of openings 43 formed therein. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a pair of arm openings 43 are disposed in alignment with a pair of the bracket openings 41, and locking pins 44 are then inserted through said openings to dispose the clamp 40 at the desired position with respect to the shell 36. The clamp 4t) and its arm 42 are shown in positions such that the clamp 40 is adapted to be received around a vertically extending fill or vent pipe. However, if said pipes project horizontally outwardly from the wall 34, it is merely necessary to remove the pins 44 and move the clamp arm 42 in a vertical position, and then reinsert the pins 44 through the vertically aligned arm and bracket openings 43 and 41. In any of its angular dispositions with respect to the shell 36, the clamp 40 may be removed Patented Oct. 27, 1964' from the pipe about which it is received simply by pulling the shell 36 away from the wall 34, thus giving access to the fill and vent pipes.

The upper end of the shell 36 is closed by a receptacle formed by a vertically extending wall 46 extending across the open side of said shell adjacent its upper end. A receptacle floor 48 is connected along its inner edge to the lower end of the wall 46, and around its outwardly projecting edge to the inner face of the shell 36. Thus, as with the other modifications of my invention,'the receptacle in the upper end of the shell encloses the top thereof and further serves as a flower box, outdoor aquarium, etc. enhancing the attractive appearance of said shell.

I claim as my invention:

In a decoratable cover for adjacent oil tank fill and vent pipes, at ground-engageable shell forming an upright wall surface projecting above said pipes and comprising a pair of opposed sections swingably joined together along a vertical axis for swinging movement to and from a closed position in which said sections form a continuous wall surface around said pipes, an inwardly projecting bracket mounted on the inner face of one of said sections above the lower edge thereof and having adjustable gripping means bindingly receivable around one of said pipes for releasably mounting the shell therearound with said wall surface disposed around and in spaced relation to said fill and vent pipes and whereby said one section will remain fixed on said one pipe and said other section is movable with respect to said pair of pipes for obtaining access thereto, and a horizontally disposed floor mounted on the inner face of said wall surface adjacent the upper end of said shell in vertically spaced relationship to said bracket and pipes and forming with said wall surface a downwardly dished decoratable receptacle disposed well above the lower end of said shell enclosing the top of said wall surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Holland Apr. 20, 1897 

